Continental’s Paige Ordway, left, beats Columbus Grove’s Sydney McCluer , right, and Ottoville’s Taylor Mangas to the finish line in the 300 hurdles Friday at the Putnam County League championship meet at Columbus Grove. Ordway finished in 46.20 seconds. (Photo by Matthias Leguire).

By TED RADICK
STAFF WRITER
COLUMBUS GROVE — Pole vault state champion Collin Grothaus. State medalist in the 3,200-meter run Jake Graham. Hurdles state finalist Derek Rieman.
Those are some of the athletes Columbus Grove lost from last year’s team, but the Bulldogs aren’t rebuilding.
They’ve reloaded.
Grove cruised to the boys team title Friday at the Putnam County League championship meet. The Bulldogs scored 204 points, easily outpacing Pandora-Gilboa (104½) and Continental (55).
The 3,200-meter relay quarted of Colton Grothaus, Alex Giesige, Lee Altenburger and Bryce Sharrits set a meet record of 8:24.80, erasing a mark Pandora-Gilboa set in 2008 at 8:25.10.
“We weren’t even sure what the PCL record was until earlier today, and we found out it was 8:25,” Grothaus said. “We thought that was definitely possible to achieve.”
“We’re just trying to get to state again this year, and we’re going goal by goal,” Giesige said. “This was one of the goals, for sure. We took a big loss from last year, but every day we come out and work hard.”
Grove boys coach Chris Grothaus has been pleasantly surprised by his team’s success this season. Last week, the Bulldogs tied for the team championship with Liberty-Benton at the L-B Invitational.
“I’ll admit, I’m as surprised in some ways as anyone because I knew what we lost,” he said. “But here we are, and these guys are putting up phenomenal numbers.
“I think tradition has a little bit to do with it,” he added, pointing out a spectator standing along the track. “Jake Graham is watching right over there, and our kids know the way he did things. I think there’s a direct carryover on that. The kids feel some responsibility.”
Grove rolled up its usual huge share of the points in the field events, as Kyle Shafer (pole vault, 12-3), David Bogart (long jump, 18-11½), Rece Roney (shot put, 45-10¾) and Bailey Clement (high jump, 5-9) all won. Chris Grothaus was pleased by the Bulldogs’ perfomance on the track as well.
“We’re getting some points from everywhere,” he said. “Even the speed relays are putting up times where they’re going to get points in the top six. It used to be, we wouldn’t have those relays in the finals or in the fast heats.
“I don’t know that we have the top-end athletes we had last year. Our goals were re-established to win the PCL, win the Northwest Conference meet and try to get somebody to state. I still think those are our goals.
“Our goals last year were possible state titles, possibly being in the top three at state. We don’t have those goals this year, but these guys have worked hard. They worked hard in the offseason, with weight room work, and they’ve fed off each other.”
Clement was a four-time winner as he added victories for Grove in the 200 (23.00) and was part of the winning 800 relay quartet (1:34.10) with Bogart, Joey Warnecke and Austin Price and 1,600 relay (3:37.80) with Bogart, Giesige and Sharrits.
Leipsic had a double-winner as Terrill Muriel swept the 110 hurdles (15.60) and 300 hurdles (41.30). Jordan Chamberlin won the 100 (11.60) for the Vikings.
Pandora-Gilboa got victories from Tyler Boes in the discus (142-5) and the 1,600 relay (46.00). Continental’s Jacob Williams won the 400 (53.60).
On the girls side, Columbus Grove was led by four-time winner Julia Wynn as the Bulldogs outpaced Pandora Gilboa 182-134. Ottoville was third with 74 points.
Wynn won the 100 (13.10), 200 (26.60), 400 (1:01.50) and joined Raiya Flores, Linnea Stephens and Sydney McCluer to win the 400 relay (50.80).
Ottoville freshman Brooke Mangas set a meet record of 5-5 in the high jump. It’s the third time she’s hit that mark, the highest in the area, so far this season.
“I don’t think I’ve ever jumped 5-5 in practice,” she said. “I’m hoping to get to state, that’s my biggest goal. I’m hoping I can go 5-7 or 5-8.”
Mangas hasn’t yet experienced the pressure of the postseason meets, but she’s confident she can keep her success rolling.
“When I was in junior high I did the state track meet, and my teammates and my sister, she’s a senior, all help me,” Mangas said.
Continental senior Paige Ordway won the 300 low hurdles against a stellar field including Grove’s McCluer and Taylor Mangas of Ottoville.
Ordway PRed in 46.20, with McCluer (47.20) and Mangas (48.10) well behind.
“When I was getting in my blocks, I was nervous,” Ordway said. “Honestly, I was really shaken up.
“I felt we were pretty close coming around the curve and when I hit the 100, I don’t know, I get to the point where I get mad and I go faster, and that pretty much carries me to the end.”
Ordway was a medalist in the event at the state meet last year and hopes to be back this spring.
“There’s a little bit of pressure, I know everybody’s thinking ‘Oh, she going to go,'” Ordway said. “I’ve been training really hard this year, so if I go down this year that would be great.
“It’s too early to talk about who’s the favorite or favorites. If I go down to Columbus, that would be awesome. If not, if won’t be the end of the world to me but it would mean a lot if I did.”